Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Flood out of Shotgun Trips TE stacks three levels of routes to the trips side while the backside receiver runs a deep dig across the field. The three-man side shows a vertical clearout up the seam, a deep out breaking to the sideline, and a flat route underneath, creating the classic high-low-low flood read on one half of the field. This is a Cover 3 beater by design, using the vertical to occupy the deep third defender and the out route to sit in the void behind the curl-flat player while the flat route punishes any zone defender who sinks too deep, with the backside dig giving you a man beater answer if the defense rotates into man coverage.
Defensive Reads
Watch the cornerback aligned over the trips receivers presnap, if he is playing a deep third with no safety help over the top, the vertical clearout will pull him and open the out route behind him. Key the flat defender, typically a linebacker or nickel, since if he widens to jump the flat route he opens a throwing lane for the deep out sitting behind him. Check the free safety depth before the snap, a single high safety indicates Cover 3 or Cover 1, both of which this flood concept is designed to attack on the trips side. Look for a late safety rotation or disguised blitz, since if the defense shows man coverage with no deep help, the backside dig becomes the primary answer instead of the flood side. Beware of a Cover 4 or two-high shell with disciplined curl-flat defenders sinking under the out route, this coverage can take away both the out and flat, forcing a check to the backside dig.
Usage Tips
Presnap identify whether the cornerback over the trips is playing off or bailing into a deep third, since that tells you if the out route or the vertical will be open first.
Read the flood side high to low, starting with the vertical clearout, then the deep out, then settling on the flat route if the underneath zone defenders widen with the out.
If the defense shows two high safeties presnap, consider hot routing the flat route into a quick option or bubble to attack the extra underneath defender before the play even develops.
Use the backside dig as your answer versus man coverage looks, especially if the defense rotates a safety down late and shows Cover 1 or Cover 0 pressure.
Pair this play with Deep In or China Y Post from the same set to keep defenders guessing between flood concepts and dig or post shots off similar formation looks.
